"Ah~"
"Another cloudless day~"
Meiser, lying on the sun lounger, looked utterly relaxed.
After taking a sip of his special drink, he exhaled deeply and said, "As expected, you gotta have a drink while sunbathing!"
"Hey!"
"Meiser, come play with us~"
"Huh?"
Taking off his sunglasses, Meiser glanced at the four guys playing on the swing in the distance. He sat up and said, "I'm not interested in that kind of swing. You guys have fun."
With that, he waved his hand, closed his eyes, and lay back down.
"Tch, Meiser really doesn't know how to enjoy himself~"
"Yeah, yeah."
"Whatever, let's keep playing."
"Merry, here we go!"
"Whoa!!"
Merry, pushed into the air by Luffy, had an excited look on her face, her little hands flailing as if trying to grasp the sensation of flying.
In the end, Merry flew straight toward Meiser.
"Meiser, catch me!!"
"Hey!"
Meiser opened his eyes in disbelief as Merry got closer and closer. Instinctively, he stood up and caught the little one.
"Hehe, you caught me. That was so fun."
Meiser: ???
After setting Merry down, Meiser turned to Luffy with a shark-like grin and roared, "Luffy, what kind of swing game are you guys playing?!"
"Since when do you throw people as part of the game?!"
"It's so much fun though."
"Yeah, yeah."
"Meiser, you obviously don't know how to play on a swing."
As he spoke, Luffy even gave Meiser a look of disdain, as if Meiser were some kind of idiot.
Meiser: ...
Suddenly, I really want to punch him. Damn it, I can't hold back.
"Merry, let's play again!"
"Okay, coming, coming!"
"Next is me, it's my turn!" Chopper said. "Meiser, you gotta catch me too."
Seeing Chopper's eager expression, Meiser muttered, "Am I part of your game now?"
"I shouldn't have put the lounger here."
He had deliberately chosen a spot where he wouldn't interfere with his crew's activities, but Luffy and the others had still managed to rope him in.
Just then, Sanji walked out, cigarette in mouth, and glanced at the group playing on the swing. "Hey, you guys, if you're so into playing, why don't you fish out the octopus from the tank?"
"I'll make you an octopus feast today!"
"Whoa!"
"Octopus balls! Octopus balls!"
The group excitedly ran to the top of the water tank, opened the iron lid, and peered down at the octopus inside. Merry tentatively reached in to grab one, but the agile little octopuses slipped right through her fingers.
"It's no use, I can't catch them," Merry said, frustrated. "Usopp, do you have any tools or something?"
"Who needs tools? Watch me!"
Luffy rolled up his sleeves and was about to plunge his hands in, but Usopp stopped him.
"You're a Devil Fruit user. Touching seawater is just asking for trouble. Leave this to me." Usopp flashed a thumbs-up and a gleaming grin. "Usopp's Treasure Chest, officially in action!"
With that, Usopp dashed back into the ship's cabin. When he returned, he was carrying an assortment of tools.
Specialized flippers, custom underwater goggles, swim caps—this whole set of equipment left Luffy and the others utterly stunned.
"Today, I'll show you what a real underwater fishing expert looks like!" Usopp, wielding two shovels, laughed loudly before diving headfirst into the water tank, chasing after the small octopuses.
"What... is Usopp doing?"
Nami, inside the restaurant, was the first to notice Usopp entering the water. She blinked in surprise at his gear.
"Isn't it obvious? He's catching octopuses," Nico Robin chuckled. "Only he would do something like this."
That guy always came up with the weirdest contraptions, and admittedly, sometimes they were surprisingly useful.
"Whatever, never mind him." Nami shook her head and turned to Nico Robin. "Robin, do you remember what Kokoro mentioned earlier?"
"You mean the Ghost Ship?"
"Yeah, I'm a little worried... Hundreds of ships disappear in that terrifying place every day. If they run into it, it'd be bad."
"Being afraid won't help," Nico Robin said. "Besides... Nami, we're strong."
"Even if that sea is special, with our strength, breaking through isn't impossible."
In Nico Robin's eyes, no stretch of ocean could stop the Straw Hat Pirates.
"That may be true, but I'm afraid there might be gho—"
Before Nami could finish, she noticed Usopp in the side tank, now caught by a swarm of octopuses, thrashing violently in the water.
"Hey, Usopp!"
"Oh no, with so many octopuses holding him, he can't get back to the surface," Nico Robin said.
She immediately stood up, intending to use her Devil Fruit ability to pull Usopp out, but seawater's effect on Devil Fruit users was too severe.
At her current level, she couldn't maintain her ability underwater for long.
The petal-formed arms appeared only for a moment before vanishing, making Nico Robin's expression darken.
"I can't pull him up."
Perhaps sensing the threat of rescue, the octopuses instinctively released ink, turning the entire tank pitch black.
"Quick, go get Meiser!"
At a time like this, only Meiser could save Usopp.
The two rushed outside, shouting, "Hey, Meiser, go save Usopp!"
"Usopp?"
Meiser rose from his lounge chair, removing his sunglasses. "What happened to him?"
"He got tangled up by octopuses underwater."
"Tangled...?"
Meiser glanced toward the tank. He'd heard Usopp dive in earlier—only to get beaten up by octopuses?
With a Body Flicker Technique, he appeared beside them. "Don't worry, I'll get him out."
"Water Style: Water Dragon Whirlwind!"
"Whoosh—"
Under the influence of Meiser's Ninjutsu, the water in the tank suddenly began to spin violently before surging upward,
launching both the octopuses and Usopp into the air!
Inside the whirlwind, Usopp spun wildly like a top.
"Gurgle gurgle gurgle...."
At this moment, Usopp fully experienced what it meant to soar freely. As the water flow disappeared, Usopp in mid-air began free-falling.
Meiser leaped up, grabbing the spinning Usopp and landing steadily on the deck.
The rescued Usopp knelt on the deck, dry heaving, his mind completely dazed.
"Thank goodness Meiser's Water Release Technique could save him," Nami sighed in relief.
"So... so cool!"
Both Chopper and Luffy stared at Meiser with sparkling eyes, saying, "We want to try it too!"
Meiser: "..."
Since when was being attacked by Ninjutsu considered fun?
"You two are Devil Fruit users, so behave," Nami said irritably.
Who in their right mind would voluntarily ask to be hit by seawater?
"Hey, Meiser!"
Having regained his senses, Usopp immediately stood up and pressed his nose against Meiser's face, opening his shark-like mouth to roar, "Were you trying to kill me?!"
Using Ninjutsu to fish him out... What kind of twisted idea was that?!
For a moment when he was flung out, he thought his mother had come to take him away.
"I deliberately controlled the power of the Ninjutsu," Meiser said. "Otherwise, dizziness would be the least of your worries."
A full-powered Water Dragon's tearing force is terrifying—without a strong physique, one could be ripped to shreds.
Moreover, excessive force might damage the water tank, which was why Meiser had restrained his strength.
"Oh... I see..." Usopp muttered. "Thanks, then."
"No need for thanks."
"These octopuses should be enough, right?" Luffy crouched down, eyeing the small octopuses. "They look delicious."
"That's all of them," Meiser said. "I swept up every octopus inside while I was at it."
"You should've said so earlier!"
"You forgot I knew Ninjutsu—can't blame me for that," Meiser shrugged.
Who knew Usopp would be dumb enough to jump in and grab octopuses by hand? Didn't he know those things could strangle people?
Luckily, these were small octopuses. If they had been the giant kind, Usopp would've been nothing more than a snack.
Usopp: "..."
Usopp made a complicated expression, momentarily at a loss for words.
He really had forgotten Meiser knew Ninjutsu—he'd only been thinking about showing off in front of Merry and the others.
"Let's take the octopuses to the kitchen first," Sanji said.
"Right!"
The group quickly cleared the deck of fish, tossing them into the large bucket Usopp had brought out earlier, and carried them to the kitchen.
After placing the fish on the floor, Usopp wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked, "That should do it, right, Sanji?"
"Yeah, I'll handle the rest."
"Hey, guys, there's something out on the sea."
"Something?"
Hearing Zoro's voice, they rushed out of the kitchen back onto the deck. "Don't tell me it's another pirate ship without sails."
"What?!" Usopp's face paled. "Bounty hunters again?"
"Dammit, are we being targeted once more?"
Chopper's expression also darkened, his eyes filled with fear—as if worried bounty hunters might come for his head.
"Bounty hunters again?" Nami's eyes sparkled as she said, "Doesn't that mean we've got new income coming in?"
"Nami..."
"What's there to fear? That's money we're talking about!" Nami exclaimed excitedly. "Last time we earned 600 million Berries—how much will it be this time?"
Usopp stared at Nami in disbelief. Why does this woman become so bold the moment money is mentioned, damn it!
Are the former "Cowardly Trio" finally breaking free now?!
"Doesn't look like a pirate ship..." Franky, who had come to the ship's edge, examined the sea curiously. "Seems more like a floating cask."
"Not bounty hunters?!"
Usopp immediately perked up and jogged over to Franky, squinting at the drifting cask on the water.
"Hey, it says 'treasure' on it... Could it be a treasure chest?!"
"A treasure chest?!"
"Seriously, maybe it fell off some ship!" Luffy chimed in.
"Quick, Luffy, scoop it up!"
Nami was instantly thrilled. She loved treasure more than anything—if there were a few hundred million Berries' worth of gold inside, even better!
"Gum-Gum Treasure Scoop!"
"Whoosh~"
"Got it!"
Luffy's stretched-out arm firmly grabbed the drifting chest in the distance.
"Pull harder, Luffy!"
"Got it!"
As Luffy gradually hauled the chest aboard, Meiser eyed it skeptically. "This... Is something this good really possible?"
"Alright, turns out it's not that good after all."
The moment Nami saw what Luffy had pulled up, her excitement vanished.
"Nami, do you recognize this?"
"Yeah, this is called a Drift Cask," Nami pointed at the cask. "See? It says 'Treasure Dedicated to the Sea God' on it."
"People offer these to the sea's guardian for safe voyages. Usually, they contain alcohol or food."
"This is a barrel..." Franky stroked his chin. "So it's probably booze."
"Most likely."
"Well, that's not very exciting," Usopp scratched his head.
"Hey, if we steal an offering meant for the gods, won't we get cursed?!"
"What, cursed?!"
At Merry's words, Chopper's face turned pale.
"Idiot, even if it's punishment, it'd be divine retribution!"
"That's even scarier..."
"I don't believe in gods or that kind of thing," Zoro grinned. "Besides, gods... We've fought them before."
At that, everyone immediately recalled their time in Skypiea—where a self-proclaimed god had been knocked unconscious by Luffy's punch.
Thinking of that, Usopp's fear instantly dissipated.
"It's not that complicated," Nami explained. "After offering prayers, the alcohol inside is safe to drink."
"And... the longer it drifts at sea, the richer and more aromatic the flavor becomes~"
"What?! Then we've gotta try it!"
"Delicious booze, huh?" Franky chuckled. "Rare to come across something this good—we're really lucky."
"Everyone can drink without worry," Nico Robin said. "Just follow the custom—finish the drink and refill the barrel with fresh liquor."
"Woohoo!"
"God, I'll gladly accept this delicious liquor you've sent!" Luffy laughed. "Alright, prayers are over."
"Hurry, hurry, Luffy! Open it already!"
"Don't rush me, I'm opening it now."
Grinning, Luffy stepped forward and untied the rope sealing the barrel, lifting the lid to peer inside.
"Let me see..."
BANG!
A sudden burst of light shot out from the barrel, soaring straight into the sky!
BOOM!
A red firework exploded in the air, its brilliance even more blinding than sunlight.
"A Flashbang..." Nico Robin muttered, her expression grim.
"Robin, what are you thinking?"
"I hope I'm just overreacting," Robin replied. "Otherwise, our ship might have been marked."
"So it wasn't just good luck after all," Meiser frowned. "Seems like a trap."
The question was—who had set their sights on them this time? Bounty hunters or rival pirates?
"This feeling..." Nami suddenly looked up, sensing the shift in atmospheric pressure. Her face paled. "Everyone, quick! Heavy rain is coming in five minutes. We need to leave immediately!"
"Merry, two o'clock, full speed ahead!"
"Got it!"
Trusting Nami completely, Merry didn't hesitate. She immediately activated her abilities to take control of the ship, adjusting its course to head straight at two o'clock.
Sure enough, five minutes later, just as Nami had predicted, the sky darkened rapidly, and torrential rain began pouring down.
"That Nami... she's hands down the best navigator, no contest," Meiser marveled.
To sense weather changes just by skin—no one else could do that like her.
"Meiser, save the compliments for later. Let's get out of here first."
"Understood!"
Meanwhile, Nico Robin glanced back in the direction they'd come from, frowning. "I hope it was just a prank... Otherwise, we might be in for another tough fight."